OilersNation has no direct affiliation to the Edmonton Oilers, Oilers Entertainment Group, NHL, or NHLPA
Sunday Scramble: Why are so many proven NHL veterans still without contracts in mid-August?
Photo credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
Aug 16, 2026, 19:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 16, 2026, 18:55 EDT
As quickly as the fax machines fired off contracts on July 1 to begin free agency, the noise has certainly gotten quiet for those still pursuing a contract — although I think the fax machines have been retired.
This summer we’ve seen funny money again, record-setting contracts for Macklin Celebrini and Leo Carlsson, as general managers have enjoyed another $10 million to play with.
There are always late signings that linger to the end of the summer, waiting until training camp, or even on opening night like Jack Roslovic a year ago, but there does seem to be an awful lot of them waiting for the phone to ring.
You can debate just how good they really are, but there are legitimate NHLers out there, flawed they may be. Maybe they have to lower their contract expectations, and that’s the holdup, jealous that they haven’t been so lucky as some of their former teammates.
Vladimir Tarasenko, Eeli Tolvanen, and Michael Bunting could help teams, for example. Patrik Laine was never going to get a contract nearly as lucrative as his $8.7 million once upon a time, but a team like the Seattle Kraken, I thought, would be interested. They lack goal scorers, and on a low-risk deal, it makes sense.
I worry that Connor Ingram’s previous issues are holding him back from being signed. Either that, or the downfall of the Oilers in the playoffs is being placed solely on him. Ingram can help a team win games next season, but there are no takers so far. The New Jersey Devils feel like a natural match with their tentative tandem of Jake Allen and Nico Daws. New GM Sunny Mehta is probably biding his time. The longer it goes, Ingram’s value continues to go down.
Logan Stanley must be wondering where it all went wrong. The towering depth defenceman scored nine goals last season, nearly twice his career output, and he must’ve been laughing with his timing of a career year and a contract year aligning. But nothing so far.
Meanwhile, being sans contract is old hat for John Klingberg, who had been hoping for a big term to match big dollars since 2022. Since then, he’s been on four straight one-year contracts of varying values, from $1.76 million to $7 million. His earning days are behind him.
Adam Henrique seems destined for a professional tryout. Although he checks a lot of the “good teammate” boxes, Oiler fans know that there isn’t much left in his tank.
Evander Kane? I think he knows there’s limited interest and a why bother attitude to his future.
Cam Talbot, Nick Blankenburg, James van Riemsdyk, David Perron, Jonathan Drouin, Carson Soucy, Calle Jarnkrok, Reilly Smith, Matt Grzelcyk, Mike Reilly, Jeff Petry, Pavol Regenda, Philipp Kurashev, and Curtis Lazar all might get a look but can’t find a partner.
Any of those names seem worth a punt for you?
Is analytics squeezing the NHL’s middle class of players or just salary cap realities?
Perhaps analytics departments are having a greater influence and teams are understanding their leverage.
My hunch is that it’s going to be harder for the lower-to-middle class of players to get paid, especially if your fancy stats don’t pop. Teams are looking for efficiency wherever they can find it, and overpaying this tier of player is not a recipe for sustained success. Maybe they’ve gotten smarter.
“Guys, you’re still trying to replace Giambi,” said Brad Pitt as Billy Beane. “I told you we can’t do it, and we can’t do it. Now, what we might be able to do is re-create him. Re-create him in the aggregate.”
Paying your superstars these new record sums is crucial because you’ll need them to win in this league, and their salary cap percentages are still in line with the contracts Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid signed at the time. We just have to reset our eyes.
I wonder if this isn’t just a one-off for free agency, but the norm going forward. If you don’t get that deal on July 1, you might be stuck.
Addressing the elephant in the room
I’ll be honest, I’ve struggled to come up with a Sunday Scramble this week. It’s the full off-season malaise. Writers are on holiday, the occasional bits of good weather we get you want to enjoy (like the beautiful day for football it was for the Edmonton Elks yesterday), and many of the burning questions surrounding the Oilers have been discussed and will be re-discussed by the time the season begins on Sept. 29.
Plus, it’s been a tumultuous week here at Oilersnation, scratch that, Daily Faceoff Edmonton, with the name change and uniting all the Nation Network sites under one umbrella.
I won’t BS you. I understand why you would be upset — Oilersnation is an iconic name and brand. Starting back in 2008, ON is a symbol of a time when your overt fandom to the Edmonton Oilers wasn’t so fun, but the forefathers of ON made it fun anyway. It wasn’t always so easy or cool to be a fan of this team.
We watched bad hockey, scouted top prospects by January, and hoped…and hoped. We were bound together with our love of a hockey team who, through their play, didn’t love us back in terms of wins. But we came back every fall with renewed and irrational optimism, hoping times would be different. Eventually they did, and the pursuit of a Stanley Cup has been thrilling and excruciating to watch.
As the public response has shown, this name change matters more in Edmonton than it does in Calgary, Vancouver, or Toronto. There’s a greater relationship built over the years with the Oilersnation brand and you, the Nation citizens, than in other markets.
Co-founder Jay Downton and baggedmilk have explained things, but you might be concerned by all the talk about “verticals” and words that feel more corporate than a hockey fan site should have. Maybe one day all the reasons will be known.
In your hockey consumption habits, a lot has happened this off-season that may alienate you. I wrote about this at length a few weeks ago: the enshittification of being a hockey fan, whether it’s Hockey Night in Canada, escalating costs to watch the games, or gambling ads. With that in mind, it’s not surprising to me if you believe this name change is another example of your fandom being changed for the worse.
And all I can really say is that beyond the name change, nothing else is changing. ON wasn’t bought by anyone. Daily Faceoff was bought by The Nation Network over a decade ago. There are a lot of tentacles to the whole company that I had no idea about until I started writing as a contractor last September.
All of this to say, I understand why it would bother you. Hopefully you stick around and see for yourself that nothing sinister is at play.
Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He’s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4.
SIGN UP NOW FOR THE NATION GOLF TOURNAMENT
The Nation Golf Tournament driven by GMC is back Friday, August 28, 2026! Which means it’s once again socially acceptable to skip work on a Friday for “networking.” Join us on Friday, August 28, 2026, at Mill Woods Golf Course for an 18-hole Texas scramble shotgun start, questionable swing decisions, and enough chirping to last the entire offseason. Grab your squad and sign up now at nationexperiences.ca before it sells out!
Breaking News
- Sunday Scramble: Why are so many proven NHL veterans still without contracts in mid-August?
- Oilers Letters to the Editor: What would you do with a magic lamp?
- Who is Mathieu Joseph? 5 little-known facts about the Oilers forward
- Frederic on killing penalties: ‘I’d love to have that role’
- 31 Oilers Questions: To trade or keep Spencer Stastney?
Edmonton OilersTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$99,274,166
$87,350,000
Projected Cap Space
$4,725,834
$26,150,000
Current Cap Space
$4,725,834
$26,150,000
Active Players
23/23
15/23
Draft Picks
Round
'26
'27
1
0
0
2
1
1
3
1
0